Who’s Who in House of the Dragon

Thursday 11 July 2024 by Ash Walker  Features

House of the Dragon, the blockbuster prequel to Game of Thrones, has a LOT of characters, most of which have long, silver hair and very similar names - and that’s not even taking into account the constant recasting. It’s easy to get confused.

This handy guide lays out all the major players, and will help you sort your Arryks from your Erryks, your Aegons from your Aemonds and your Rhaenyras from your Rhaenyses. Everything you need to prep for Season 2, which is airing right now on Sky Atlantic.

Rhaenyra Targaryen

Played by: Emma D’Arcy (adult) and Milly Alcock (young)

Not to be confused with: Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell)

Stoic silver-haired queen without a throne, leader of Team Black, and the closest thing to a hero that House of the Dragon has to offer.

As a young woman Rhaenyra is headstrong and fearless, and would rather spend her time riding her dragon Syrax than learning how to be a ruler. But when she’s named as heir by her father, King Viserys, she knuckles down and prepares to take over as the first ruling Queen of Westeros.

As an adult, her seat on the throne suddenly in question, she marries her uncle, Daemon, and moves to Dragonstone, and that’s where we find her at the start of Season 2 - still grieving the death of her young son Luke at the hands of half-brother Aemond, but staunchly laying claim to the Iron Throne, as promised by her father. All while trying her best to avoid all-out war.

Alicent Hightower

Played By: Olivia Cooke (adult) and Emily Carey (young)

Rhaenyra’s childhood bestie turned bitter rival, and leader of Team Green. Alicent believes in propriety and duty above all else, which often leads her into some tricky situations.

As a teenager, she’s pressured into marrying the grieving King Viserys by her own father, Otto Hightower. And as an adult, she wholeheartedly embraces the idea that her son, Aegon, is Viserys’s true heir - even if that idea brings her in direct conflict with her former best friend, Rhaenyra.

Season 2 finds Alicent in a fragile position. Having installed her son, Aegon, on the Iron Throne, she’s facing threats from without - Rhaenyra and those loyal to her claim - and within - a council that wants to ignore her, and a bunch of kids seemingly determined to murder one another.

Daemon Targaryen

Played By: Matt Smith

Not To Be Confused With: Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell)

Rhaenyra’s unpredictable uncle/husband. The rogue prince Daemon has an early stab at the throne in Season 1, petulantly declaring himself king over his more level-headed brother Viserys. When that comes to nothing, he marries Viserys’s heir, Rhaenyra, bringing him one step closer to power and glory.

Unfortunately for him, Rhaenyra has proven to be unflinchingly independent, and the two often butt heads over how to handle the brewing civil war. Daemon is desperate for a fight - Daemon is always desperate for a fight - while his wife is determined to find a peaceful solution.

Generally, Daemon spends his time stalking around and glowering, and occasionally beheading someone unexpectedly.

Aegon Targaryen

Played By: Tom Glynn-Carney (adult) and Ty Tennant (young)

Not To Be Confused With: Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), Aegon Targaryen (Rhaenyra’s young son, who we haven’t seen much of on screen), Aegon the Conqueror, or any of the other billion people named Aegon in Westeros

The current (official) ruler of Westeros, and a bit of a scumbag. Thanks to a deathbed misunderstanding - and the ambition of the Hightowers - Aegon now sits on the Iron Throne, and has become a focal point for the civil war.

Aegon is a drunkard and a wastrel, with some particularly unpleasant tastes, but season 2 finds him actually attempting to embrace his position and rule as a good king, like his father. Which, undoubtedly, will end badly for all involved.

Aemond Targaryen

Played By: Ewan Mitchell (adult) and Leo Ashton (young)

Not To Be Confused With: Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), any of the Aegons

Cold, calculating psychopath with an eyepatch and a chin that could cut glass. Aemond is the younger brother of Aegon, the current ruler of Westeros. Where his brother is generally useless, Aemond is cruel, smart and very good with a blade.

He lost his eye in a childhood scrap with Rhaenyra’s kids, and has never gotten over it. Nor has he gotten over the constant bullying he suffered at the hands of his own brother. Aemond is a man against the world, with everything to prove.

He also rides Vhagar, the biggest, meanest dragon in the Seven Kingdoms, which says a lot about his insecurities.

Season 2 sees Aemond poised to become one of the show’s big villains, after (sort of) accidentally murdering Rhaenyra’s young son Luke at the end of Season 1. Now, with war brewing, he’ll be sure to bring his keen strategic mind - and his bloody great dragon - into the mix.

Ser Criston Cole

Played By: Fabian Frankel

Hissable head of the Kingsguard. Criston had one of the more interesting character arcs over the course of Season 1, going from noble knight, to Rhaenyra’s secret lover, to stroppy, resentful villain.

He’s a bitter man who will seemingly do anything, no matter how low, to bring down his former love. He also keeps getting promoted despite being generally bad at his job, and in Season 2, Criston is set to continue failing upwards, becoming best mates with King Aegon and slipping into the bed of Aegon’s mother - and Rhaenyra’s former best friend - Alicent.

Criston is easy to hate, but always fun to watch. 

Otto Hightower

Played By: Rhys Ifans

Ever-scheming Hand of the King(s). Otto Hightower has been a constant presence since the time of King Viserys, and is still whispering in the ear of his successor, Aegon. He’s fiercely intelligent but cold and calculating; everything can be spun to his advantage.

Otto’s extreme competence often finds him at odds with those he serves - especially Aegon - and he’s never shy with a withering, heavy-lidded stare or a pithy one-liner. House of the Dragon can be brutally short on humour, but most of the all-too-rare zingers come from Otto.

Rhaenys Targaryen

Played By: Eve Best

Not To Be Confused With: Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell)

Stalwart - if slightly bitter - cousin of King Viserys. Overlooked as heir to the Iron Throne back in the day, Rhaenys is also known as the Queen Who Never Was. After being snubbed, she went off and married Corlys Velaryon, Master of Driftmark, and set herself up with a nice life by the sea in Blackwater Bay.

One of those rare characters in the world of Westeros that is generally quite noble, Rhaenys is a veteran dragon rider and understated badass. She’s not one to suffer fools and will often cut through all of her family’s hot air with a single, razor-sharp sentence.

Corlys Velaryon

Played By: Steve Toussaint

Restless old sea dog turned Master of Driftmark. Also known variously as the Sea Snake and Lord of the Tides, Corlys is one of the greatest seafarers that the Seven Kingdoms has ever known. Or at least he was.

Now he’s stuck in his castle, dealing with the tedium of government. But Corlys retains his adventurous spirit - to a fault - which regularly gets him into trouble. Especially in Season 1, when he recklessly throws himself into a war against a band of pirates and barely comes out alive.

Mysaria

Played By: Sonoya Mizuno

Razor-sharp lady of the night, turned slippery spymaster. Also known as the White Worm.

Mysaria is smart and determined, but most of all she’s a survivor. She started out as a slave before catching the eye of Daemon at a brothel, and from there she’s had a bumpy, fascinating journey.

Season 2 finds her discarded by Daemon and run out of King’s Landing. But, as always, Mysaria manages to land on her feet, worming her way into a choice position by Rhaenyra’s side.

Larys Strong

Played By: Matthew Needham

Conniving Master of Whisperers, also known as the Clubfoot. 

Like Tyrion Lannister before him (or should that be after him, chronologically speaking), Larys is a man whose physical disability is outstripped by his wits. Only, where Tyrion was a generally benevolent force - he drinks and he knows things - Larys is sneaky, cruel and a master manipulator.

He also has a thing for feet, and cutting out tongues. A creepy dude.

Jacaerys ‘Jace’ Velaryon

Played By: Harry Collett (adult) and Leo Hart (young)

Not To Be Confused With: His brothers Lucerys and Viserys

Good-natured first born son of Rhaenyra. Jace hasn’t had a lot to do in the show as of yet, aside from acting as a sort of ambassador for his mother. Season 2 opens with him visiting the Wall, so we may see him hanging out with the Starks more often.

From the little we’ve seen, Jace seems like a good kid - although he does have the occasional flash of that classic Targaryen bloodlust.

Baela Targaryen

Played By: Bethany Antonia (adult) and Shani Smethurst (young)

Not To Be Confused With: Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell), Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan), Baelon Targaryen, or basically her entire family.

Hot-headed daughter of Daemon. Like Jace, Baela hasn’t made much of an impact yet, often being sidelined by her more bombastic relatives. We’ve seen her mourn her mother, be betrothed to her cousin, Jace, and ride around a bit on her dragon, Moondancer.

By all accounts she shares her father’s impulsiveness, and his temper, so it likely won’t be long before she gets properly stuck into the fighting.

Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk Cargyll

Played By: Luke Tittensor and Elliott Tittensor

Not To Be Confused With: Each other.

Confusingly-named identical twins, split by an ideological divide. 

At the start of season 2, these guys represent the civil war in microcosm: siblings at war, brother against brother, huge beard against huge beard. And it won’t end well for either of them.

Viserys Targaryen

Played By: Paddy Considine

Not To Be Confused With: Rhaenyra’s children Lucerys, Jacaerys and, especially, Viserys.

A wise, fair, level-headed king, and a generally okay guy. Although, like most people in Westeros, Viserys was far from perfect. Let’s not forget that he drove his wife to an early grave in the pursuit of a male heir, and married his teenage daughter’s best friend, which is pretty gross.

A big presence in Season 1, Viserys’s absence is keenly felt, but his contested legacy still provides the basis for the whole Targaryen civil war. As of Season 2, Viserys is pretty definitively dead, so we don’t expect him to be up to much.

Bonus round: the dragons of House of the Dragon

As you might expect, House of the Dragon is bursting with the scaly, winged fire-breathers and, like their human companions, many of them have ridiculous, Scrabble-busting names.

This is a brief list of the dragons currently in play in the show, not counting several hatchlings and a bunch of unnamed wild dragons that have yet to be claimed.

• Syrax - A sort of yellowish colour, currently ridden by Rhaenyra.
• Caraxes - Skinny and red, currently ridden by Daemon.
• Seasmoke - Pale grey, currently unclaimed after the ‘death’ of his rider Laenor Velaryon.
• Vhagar - Blueish-grey and absolutely huge, currently ridden by Aemond.
• Meleys - Known as the Red Queen, currently ridden by Rhaenys.
• Vermax - A greenish colour, currently ridden by Jace.
• Sunfyre - The golden dragon, currently ridden by Aegon.
• Moondancer - Slender and green, currently ridden by Baela.
• Vermithor - Huge and ancient, currently unclaimed and living in a cave.

Where to watch House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon airs every Monday at 9pm on Sky Atlantic, and can be streamed from 2am the same day.